Undergarment for hernia relief and other purposes

ABSTRACT

A brief style undergarment for men is constructed of spandex or the like and is adapted to fit tightly against the abdomen, perineum, and pubic areas. Thereby providing force against internal organs protruding through hernial openings of the abdominal wall. The snug, forceful, fit of the garment is facilitated by having a hole in the garment front to pass the wearer&#39;s penis and scrotum, thereby permitting the elastic to pull the garment panels tight against the wearer&#39;s body. Abdominal control is enhanced by forming an elastic waistband that encircles the body high in the back and low, at least under the navel, in front. A second optional band encircles the body across the wearer&#39;s navel to support hernias in the navel area.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 11/147,693 titles “Garment for Enhancing Male Sexual Performance”, filed Jun. 8, 2005, including Provisional Application No. 60,580,115 titled “Garment for Enhancing Male Sexual Performance”, filed June 2004. Both are incorporated herein by reference.

U.S. GOVERNMENT INTEREST IN THE INVENTION

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Therapeutic garments and appliances.

2. Description of Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,464, “Sleeping and Therapy System with a Person Hydraulically Supported by Immersion in Water” by the present inventor describes a similar garment (FIG. 7) as part of the support for a urinal system for use in the said sleeping system. The hole 38 shown is adapted to receive the penis and urinal assembly. The present invention receives both the penis and testicles and has an effect on sexual function, which is not supported by the prior art garment.

Several other patents utilizing a hole for receiving a penis have been located. Most, are for treating incontinence or some other medical condition. One, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,408 has a band across the top of the base of the penis for applying pressure to the upper side of the base of the penis. This is pressure is described as restricting blood flow out of a penis to enhance erection. The present invention does not apply a pinching action to any portion of the penis.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,266, by Jui-Kuang Yuang, has been found having a hole adapted to receive both the penis and scrotum. This patent requires both to be unsupported in order to cause the garment to closely fit against the perineum region for the purpose of keeping an electrode in contact with the skin of the perineal floor. Mr. Yuang's mechanical structure of the garment is directed entirely to holding the necessary elements for electo-shock therapy of the peroneal muscles in both men and women. The hole is shaped only sufficiently large to pass the penis and scrotum of a male user, no pinching or holding.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,595, by John H. Thrower, teaches an undergarment for men that has a hole for the receiving the penis and scrotum of the wearer.

Thrower's garment is intended primarily as an athletic supporter (col 2, lines 27-29). Thrower's hole is a symmetrical oval (figs and col 4 lines 2-5), not ovoid (egg shaped) as in the present invention. Thrower's garment, the “tubular body portion”, is comprised primarily of knit cotton. The only portions taught as comprising elastic fibers is the front covering 14 and the upper edge 38 of the front covering, both having a two-way elasticity characteristic (FIG. 9) in the horizontal axis. The elasticity of the waist band itself 26 is not described. The purpose of the Thrower front panel 14 seems to be to bind the penis and testicles to prevent movement.

The knit tubular body portion is stretchable, but not, by conventional understanding, elastic. The stretch ability of knit fabrics is a characteristic of the looping (knitting) of the fiber strands which permits the fabric to stretch by distorting the knitted loops, and the stretching force is minimal. Elasticity, by common usage, and this disclosure, is imparted by actual elongation and restoration of fibers having elastic properties. This is inherent in elastic fibers such as spandex fiber and rubber strands which, under tension, are capable of elongation and returning to original length when the tension is released. Spandex may be lengthened as much as 500%. When knit or woven into a fabric, the fabric as a whole exhibits a rubber-like expand ability and contraction accompanied by noticeably significant force.

Thrower does not teach that any of the knit cotton panels are elastic. Only front panel 14 is described as elastic.

By industry convention, two-way stretch is elastic fiber giving fiber caused elasticity along only one axis of the fabric. Four-way stretch has fiber-caused elasticity along both woof (weft) and warp directions of the fabric.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide pressure against the pubic and/or navel areas of the body, thereby providing gentle pressures to hernia caused protrusions.

It is another object of the invention, in some embodiments, to provide mechanical support, and apply pressure on nerves, blood vessels, or perineal muscles for the purpose of enhancing sexual performance, in particular, assisting in maintaining an erection.

It is another object of the invention to serve as a substitute for pharmaceutical agents such as Viagra (tm), which are known to have serious side effects.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has several applications; as a male hernia support garment, as long-john type underwear, as athletic wear, and as an enhancer of sexual function.

A brief style undergarment with optionally two waist bands which are optionally attached to a tank-type undershirt having shoulder straps. The shoulder straps provide lift and the overall undershirt anchors the briefs to prevent creeping of both the undershirt and the briefs. The brief are also optionally attached to a pair of hose having stirrups under the feet. The preferred material for both the undershirt and hose is knit material, primarily of cotton, but may have other fiber content including an appropriate amount of spandex.

The primary elastic waist band extends around the small of the back thence downward and under the “pot” of the wearer. An optional secondary elastic waist band extends from the small of the back thence forward and near or over the navel.

The brief style portion of the undergarment is constructed of either two-way or four-way stretch elastic fabric such as spandex (“Lycra”) or similar fabrics used in swimwear and athletic wear. Spandex is the generic term for a polyurethane elastic filament. “Lycra” is Dupont's trade name for spandex. The term spandex is also used to describe fabric having elastic properties provided by spandex or similar fiber. A review of textile manufactures and wholesalers, and swimsuit manufactures revealed that the spandex fiber content of swimsuits ranges from 10 to 36 percent, with the most common being in the range of 15-20%. Four-way stretch fabric has elastic fiber in both the woof (weft) and warp axes, thus it has elasticity in tension along two orthogonal directions. Two-way fabric has elastic fiber in only one axis, thus exhibits elasticity along only one axis.

The garment is equipped with an egg-shaped hole approximately 2½ to 3½ inches long, and preferably having an upper radius of ¾ inch across and a lower radius of approximately ½ inch across and placed so that the penis and scrotum of a wearer may protrude without being pinched anywhere. The shorter hole is used in the sexual enhancement embodiment, and the longer hole is used in the other applications.

The cut (construction pattern) is such that the crotch panel snugs up against the perineal surface thereby applying an augmenting force to the perineal muscles and thence against the root structure of the penis in that region. In addition, other elastic panels surrounding the hole apply gentle pressures to the pubic area, and the zones alongside the penis and scrotum. Together, these forces enhance and prolong an erection.

Because the action of any one such garment is affected by the cut relative to the anatomy of the wearer, the hole position may need to be custom placed to fit the many body sizes and specific anatomical details of an individual or population.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in addition to the hole, the garment has another innovative feature where the back of the garment is significantly higher 10 than at the front. This allows the elastic waist band to fit properly between the small of the back and the area just under the abdominal “pot” and more importantly for those with a “pouch” of fat between the abdomen and the pubic area, the waist band rides on the pubic area, thereby fitting more closely to the skin of the wearer with no wrinkling from gathering of excessive fabric in the usually cut underwear. The band also provides a firm anchorage for the ends of the panel containing the hole. The hole panel is anchored at the front end directly to the waist band, and at the other end through the crotch thence to the back of the waist band, and permitting the garment to fit snugly and apply pressure to the perineal area and muscle.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows the basic garment.

FIG. 2 not shown.

FIG. 3 shows the high-cut back of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows the placement of the waist band on a user.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the present invention having legs.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention with attached undershirt and hose.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention with attached undershirt and hose.

INDEX OF IDENTIFIED ELEMENTS

-   1. The invention -   2. The hole -   3. Upper arc -   4. Lower arc -   5. Elastic pubic covering panel. -   6. High-low elastic waist band. -   7. Fat paunch. -   8. The usual position for underwear and trouser waist band. -   9. The preferred position of the waist band for the present     invention. -   10. High cut of back of the present invention. -   11. Leg part of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. -   12. Front cover panel -   13. Tank top (undershirt) portion -   14. Upper waist band. -   15. Lower part of tank top -   16. Tank top shoulder strap -   17. Stocking (hosiery) portion

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The brief portion of the present invention is preferably constructed of elastic material such as is use in swim wear or athletic wear (10-36% spandex).

Because there is no need for providing room for the male external organs, the pattern for cutting can be essentially the same as for women's swimwear with modifications to adapt to the male torso such as thicker waist, male abdominal shapes, etc. The pubic and perineal panels should fit snugly against the body. In conventional brief style underwear with the penis and scrotum being inside the garment, the crotch panel cannot stretch snugly over the perineum surface, nor can the pubic panel be snugged against the pubes.

The preferred penis/scrotum hole 2 is a vertically oriented ovoid (egg) shape with the upper arc 3 having a radius of approximately ¾ inch and the lower arc 4 having a radius of approximately ½ inch. The vertical length of the preferred hole is approximately 2½ to 3½ inches with the variation being at the lower end of the hole. The larger length is preferred for general, hernia, and athletic applications, and the shorter length for the sexual enhancement embodiment. Like any garment, the positioning and the specific size of the hole and other garment parts is adjusted to match the body size of the wearer. In no case should the hole be so small or misplaced as to pinch the sides or top of the penis, or to bind at the underside of the scrotum.

A second feature of the invention is that it can be specially cut for the man with an enlarged abdomen, ie a “pot”, and more particularly, a man with a pouch of fat 7 hanging below the abdomen. Referring to FIG. 3, the back of the garment is cut higher (10) than the front by 1½ to 4 inches or more so that the waist band fits into the small of the back and around the waist to the upper pubic area. This lower waistband is preferred to be 1 to 3 inches wide and constructed of two-way stretch fabric. The waist bands of conventional underwear, and athletic wear are intended to be worn with the waistbands in the location identified as 8. But for the portly wearer, the conventional band will often slip down below the abdomen to the location identified as 9 which causes blousing of the fabric comprising the pubic covering elastic front panel 5. For male users, the present invention requires the elastic pubic panel to be snugged flat and tight against the body. The high-low waistband with the front and back panels cut to match and co-operate is “pre-slipped down” and also produces a lift on the front panel which keeps it in a smooth and flat configuration. Any blousing would interfere with the panel providing smooth elastic force against the wearer. Blousing would negate any vertical stretching, causing all the stretch to be transverse across the body wrinkling the panel into tight horizontal bands.

The high-low waistband will function in exactly the same manner when worn by a thin man.

A front covering 12 is optional, but valued when the garment is used as a hernia brace or as general underwear. The covering 12 is made of knit cotton or any other suitable material and weave.

It is fastened to or near the lower edge of the waist band 6 and to the perineal panel (crotch). Panel 12 is loose enough to form a pocket for the organs without significant binding.

Other purposes for panel 12 are for modesty, to prevent abrasion, for hygiene, and for comfort.

The preferred fabric for use in the brief portion of the present invention is either two-way or four-way stretch spandex elastic material such as is used for swimsuits, athletic wear, and other snug-fitting garments, spandex fabric with 15 to 20 percent content of spandex filament, or similar.

The pressure applied to the pubic area of the wearer also provides support and compression to hernia protrusions in that area. Pads may be inserted as needed under the front pressure panel. The upper band 14 is 2 to 4 inches wide and is optional. It is used primarily to flatten hernias in the vicinity of the navel.

The undershirt portion 13 of the garment is of cotton knit or other materials and weaves. The shoulder straps 16 convey additional lift to the waist bands and lower abdominal, “pot”, portion. Some spandex may be included for a conforming fit and support. The undershirt portion is fastened to both of the elastic waist bands 14 and 6 and prevents the bands from folding, which would result in binding. Obviously, the undershirt portion's attachment to the brief portion also prevents the undershirt from creeping upward on the torso.

Upper band 14 is omitted in some embodiments. The undershirt is cut lower under the arms than most tank-top undershirts to give additional length to the shoulder straps so they may be more easily pulled over the shoulders. The top of the undershirt portion should end approximately 14 to 16 inches below the top of the shoulder. The front and back panels may be extended higher than shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The optional hose portion 17 of the garment attaches to the brief portion and extends to the ankle, terminating in a stirrup strap under the instep of the foot. The purpose of the hose portion is primarily for warmth when used as an undergarment in cold weather and as sleepwear.

HOW TO USE THE INVENTION

The garment is pulled on over the buttocks and pelvis, and the penis and scrotum is pulled through the hole. The effect is to prolong erection. The larger ovoid hole in the hernia control embodiment does not affect erection.

ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS AND USAGES

The brief design shown in FIG. 1 can be modified by adding legs 11 as shown in FIG. 5 for both the preferred usage, and the comfort-sleep wear described below.

The garment can be modified for enhancing comfort while sleeping, and in particular will provide a cooling effect on the testes during hot, humid nights, although the comfort feature is useful even on cool nights. For sleepwear and athletic wear, slight modifications of the described invention is desired. The modifications are to have short legs 11 as shown in FIG. 5, be made of cotton or similar absorbent fabric. This embodiment puts a layer of cloth between the penis and scrotum and the leg during sleeping. Thereby reducing sweating and absorbing whatever sweat does occur at the contact area. The fabric not only controls sweating, but because of the contact area being dryer, the growth of fungus and bacteria is inhibited or eliminated. The cooling effect should also be healthier for the testes, which are sensitive to heat.

An advantage of the high back/under the abdomen waist band is that the position shown as 9 in FIG. 4 is a smaller circumference than the ordinary position identified in FIG. 4 as 8. In fact 9 is the shortest circumference of any waist measurement of a portly person. This means that an elastic in position 9 will have less hoop tension than other positions of wearing, and that the propensity of an elastic waist band or belt to slip down is greatly reduced. 

1. A garment for compressing extended hernias comprising: a. a close fitting brief style garment having an elastic waistband adapted to encircle the wearer's torso, cooperatively inter-connected spandex elastic panels covering the pubic, perineal, and buttock areas of a wearer; and b. an ovoid shaped hole in the pubic panel adapted for receiving the penis and scrotum of the wearer; and c. said ovoid shaped hole being vertically oriented with the arc of the upper end being larger than the arc of the opposite lower end, and the lower arc being oriented downward toward the perineal panel; and d. where said elastic panels, elastic waistband, and hole cooperate to apply strongly palpable pressure to the pubic and perineal surfaces, and no pressure to the penis or scrotum of the wearer. e. whereby said elastic pubic covering panel is interposed between the wearer's penis and scrotum and the wearer skin.
 2. The garment of claim 1 where the said elastic waist band is adapted to encircle the wearer's torso where the front portion crossing the upper boundary of the wearer's pubic area is attached to said pubic covering panel and the back portion crosses the wearer's back at a level higher than said front portion; said front portion being attached to the front end of said pubic covering panel whereby said elastic waistband being raised across the wearer's back slopes downward to the front and applies lift to the pubic covering panel thereby preventing the panel from bunching, folding, or rolling which create uneven pressures on the wearer's pubic area that interfere with the function of said garment. 